Dickson in a class of his own, among ’05 recruits and in UO record books

LOS ANGELES — It’s not unusual for a group of players in the same recruiting class to be thinned out by injuries and transfers and such.

But are there really just three fifth-year seniors from Oregon’s 2005 recruiting class available for Friday’s Rose Bowl? And just one of them, tight end Ed Dickson, in line to start for the No. 7 Ducks against the No. 8 Buckeyes?

“It’s eye-opening,” said Dickson, who will lead classmates Simi Toeaina and Titus Jackson, plus the injured Walter Thurmond III, on the field for Friday’s 2:10 p.m. kickoff. “When you come in there it’s about 25, and now it’s a handful. It’s a hard road.”

A road that Dickson, at least, has traveled in remarkable fashion.

The 6-foot-5, 243-pound native of southern California is already Oregon’s leading all-time receiver among tight ends. He was the Ducks’ only first-team all-Pac-10 Conference selection this season, despite the team’s 10-2 finish and 8-1 mark in league play.

The details of his career beyond those basics are compelling as well. Dickson moved to defensive end his second fall in Eugene, and played two-thirds of a season there in 2006 before switching back to tight end. He is close friends with LeGarrette Blount, suffering with Blount through their senior season after the events in Boise.

Through it all, Dickson had developed into an explosive, versatile threat for the Oregon offense, and his matchup with the vaunted Buckeye defense will be a marquee element of the Rose Bowl.

“It’s probably what I’m going to see if I go to the next level,” said Dickson (for whom the NFL is most certainly a “when,” not an “if.”) “It’s going to create a challenge for me, and I’m excited.” Click here for the complete story.